CryptoLocker Virus

There is a new virus out that cannot currently be beaten. This virus will encrypt/delete ALL FILES ON YOUR COMPUTER AND THEN WILL JUMP TO ALL OTHER COMPUTERS ON THE NETWORK.

How do you become infected with CryptoLocker?

This infection is typically spread through emails sent to company email addresses that pretend to be customer support related issues from Fedex, UPS, DHS, etc. These emails would contain a zip attachment that when opened would infect the computer. These zip files contain executables that are disguised as PDF files as they have a PDF icon and are typically named something like FORM_101513.exe or FORM_101513.pdf.exe. Since Microsoft does not show extensions by default, they look like normal PDF files and people open them

So, DO NOT OPEN ANY PDF OR ZIP FILE FROM FEDEX, UPS, DHS, ETC!!!

While Frankenstein Computers can absolutely remove this infection from your computer, getting the encrypted data back is another matter. At the moment there are only 3 methods of retrieving the data. **Your system has a recent restore point which can be restored to, before the encryption happens. **The system is setup with an online backup service, which can be contacted immediately after the infection has been removed. **Paying the Ransom If for any reason Cryptolocker has appeared on your system, disconnect the computer from the Internet immediately, and if you are on a network disconnect it from the network right away, as this not only has the ability to jump systems, but can encrypt data on your entire network!